November 27, 2017

Four Susquehanna University students have been named to the University Innovation Fellows program, administered by Stanford University.

Junior international studies major Alexandra Haller, of Chevy Chase, Md., senior art major Damian Munoz, of Tamaqua, Pa., sophomore business administration major Daniel Yim, of Warrington, Pa., and senior English major Tonia Hall, of Hempstead, N.J., have just completed training to join the University Innovation Fellows. The global program empowers student leaders to increase campus engagement with innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and design thinking.

Haller, Munoz, Yim and Hall are among 229 students from 62 institutions of higher education in 10 countries who were selected for the prestigious program.

The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. Fellows work to ensure that their peers gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to compete in the economy of the future and make a positive impact on the world.

Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) runs the program. With the addition of the new fellows, the program has trained 1,200 students since the program’s creation.

“We believe strongly that entrepreneurship is a skill that will serve all of our students well as they enter the competitive job market,” said Karen Mura, Susquehanna associate professor of English and faculty coordinator for postgraduate advising. “We are pleased our students are once again participating in this prestigious program.”

Fellows are sponsored by faculty and administrators and selected through an application process twice annually. Following acceptance into the program, schools fund the students to go through six weeks of online training. Throughout the year, they take part in events and conferences and have opportunities to learn from one another, Stanford mentors and leaders in academia and industry.

Next March, Susquehanna students will participate in the Silicon Valley Meetup, which brings together all fellows trained in fall 2017 and spring 2018. Fellows will take part in immersive experiences at the d.school, Google and other Silicon Valley organizations. They will collaborate in experiential workshops and exercises focused on topics that include movement building, innovation spaces, design of learning experiences, and new models for change in higher education.

This is the third cohort of Susquehanna students to participate in the University Innovation Fellows program. Seven students have previously been selected as fellows.